Updated: December 04, 2007

Immediately following the rush premiere in January of 1966, the global fad of Batmania in 1966 caused by the ABC TV show that starred Adam West, Burt Ward and, arguably, the fantastic George Barris styled Batmobile was overwhelming. Here was one of the most significant fads of the 1960's and Bat-memorabilia was everywhere. Collectors should not forget what caused all the fervor - it was the run-away popularity of that now classic TV show. Finding memorabilia dedicated to the TV show is quite difficult for few items actually carried images or graphics taken from the series. Most believe that was because of the multiple layers of licensing involved, what with NPP (National Periodical Publications), ABC, Greenway Productions and then the actors themselves all deserving of a cut from the licensing fees.

But, there is one often overlooked area devoted exclusively to the TV series and that is the TV listing guides. Everyone is familiar with that digest sized weekly publication distributed nationally, but in many cases, the coolest guides were the local or regionally published books, most often inserted into the Sunday newspapers. Many times these guides used rarely seen photos and nearly always have a very distinct nostalgic appeal. This was an significant area of concentration within this collection and we bring you a hefty chunk of these vintage TV guidebooks this week. Be sure to see ALL the other auctions, for there are more than TWENTY different digests listed here, with more to follow. Some of these you may not even know existed! Naturally, most contain feature articles on the Batman show, with all these magazines also containing articles and photos of the various cool shows available back then. For the sake of economy, though, we will concentrate only on the covers, as truthfully that is where the interest really lies with these old 'zines.

Here is a classic regional insert guide, the TV News from the week of August 5-12, 1966. This digest sized book is 5 5/16" X 8 5/16" with listings for the Chicago, IL local area. On the front is a unique, full color illustration of Batman, Robin and the majoe villains from the show, Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Maerdith as the Penguin, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and the curvaceous Julie Newmar as the Catwoman. There is light age toning, particularly along the bottom edge, even though the cover is made from a better grade of paper, with just essentially no other flaws save for a small surface abrasion at the top back cover. This copy was only available as an insert in the Chicago Daily newspaper and is one of the most desirable guides to find because of the villains on the cover.

Value: $80.